There are several popular forms of entertainment, socializing and relaxation including playing games, watching movies, going to theme parks, going camping etc. What is needed is a game that brings together elements from all of these forms.
Games can generally be divided between physical games and virtual games, where physical games are usually played in person with a physical board of some sort at a table with multiple players. Virtual games are typically played by a single player sitting at a computing device, although the single player may be connected and competing with many players via the internet.
Although the advent of the VHS tape and DVD was considered by some to be a “movie-theatre-killer,” the movie industry has remained popular. With the significant advancements in technology, big-box office movies are also being challenged by cable, internet and independent movies. Some of the video games are now even releasing their storylines as companion movies, such as Doom, Pokemon or Wizard of Warcraft. What is evident is that movies and storytelling remain very popular and the tools for creating and distributing the movie content are advancing significantly while also democratizing through cost reduction.
Theme Parks and Amusement Parks are also continuing to experience growth in attendance and have become major destinations with on-site hotels for hosting family vacations. Theme parks like Universal Studios and Disney are also incorporating movie brands into their parks, for example Universal has Harry Potter, Transformers, Marvel Comics, etc. and Disney has its own Disney movies as well as now Star Wars and Avatar. Lego is a well-known toy company that also produces Lego movies and has several Lego Land Theme Parks.
Currently, enjoying physical games, virtual games, movies, tv dramas, theme parks, etc. is heavily compartmentalized and therefore tends towards separate and distinct experiences. Using a Theme Park as an example, the park guest enjoys significant physical experiences while at the park, where the experiences such as rides and public spaces do not change (they are not evergreen) and they are not personalized. These experiences are also limited to park boundaries, both physical and access times. What is needed for both the Theme Parks and the guests is a means for extending and enhancing the guest experience. Extending is a question of where and when, therefore moving past the park boundaries into on-demand experiences in the hotels and even the home. Enhancing is a question of how and what, where how a guest can have experiences includes new means as described by the present invention and the related base invention. These new means include an INTERACTIVE OBJECT TRACKING MIRROR-DISPLAY AND ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM (from the parent application) and the present invention of an PHYSICAL-VIRTUAL GAME BOARD AND CONTENT DELIVERY SYSTEM. Other variations of these teachings further extend to a park-wide gaming system that overlays onto the existing physical rides and public spaces including means for providing guests with secret messages and clues as well as tracking their movements and progress. In this way, the existing rides and public spaces are transformed becoming evergreen and personalized. The what of enhancing the park experience includes new themed challenges, secret missions, clues, competitions and such that are new ways for park guests to enjoy themselves.
Using a movie franchise such as The Fast and The Furious, a cable series such as Game of Thrones, or a book brand such as Harry Potter as an example entity, the present invention and related parent application describe means for allowing the entity/brand/franchise to engage customers at home with information and content wrapped into a physical and virtual gaming platform. Customers can for example begin the game experiences, prior, during or after the release of new movies, cable episodes, or books, all as determined by the entity and designed into the game format. The opportunity to experience not-for-general-release, personalized, and/or pre-release content is expected to be a compelling draw for customers. The present physical-virtual game board serves as an erasable storyboard that continually transforms based upon the entities creative vision, where individual players take on the characters of the franchise or brand, for example presenting players with situations that will be faced by their favorite character in an upcoming release of the movie, cable episode or book. Players will have the opportunity to make choices, face dilemmas, or solve problems prior to knowing how the storytellers intend the character to act. Entities will have a unique means to see how their fans think the characters will choose and act, possibly influencing the actual upcoming release of a movie, cable show or book. The opportunity to enjoy games and receive community-wide recognition as well as earn entity rewards including valuable collectibles is also anticipated to be increase customer brand loyalty.